Liz Schrenk 4/14/25 Liz Schrenk 4/14/25

Alé & Joe’s Sweet Chez Hotel Wedding

Every now and again we meet a couple who truly seems like they were made for one another. From the first conversation we had with Alé and Joe it was clear that these two were perfect for each other. They share a deep connection marked by love and joy and it is just a joy to be in their presence.

Alé and Joe met in through mutual friends in 2022 but didn’t start dating until February of 2023. Their first date was on Valentine's Day after Joe took a chance and asked Alé out at a Superbowl party. From that day on they were inseparable and spent nearly every day together. After dating for just over a year they took a road trip to the path of totality for the total eclipse on April 8 2024 – Joe has always been a self-proclaimed space nerd and was determined to fully experience this once-in-a-lifetime moment. Little did Alé know that Joe had planned the perfect proposal for just moments after totality – what an unforgettable time to pop the question!!

We were so excited that Alé and Joe invited us to be a part of their wedding this Spring. Christy, Conrad and I met Alé at the newly refurbished Chez Hotel in Arlington Heights and were blown away by the gorgeous lobby when we arrived for “getting ready” photos. Alé was relaxing with her bestie Purvi as the talented team from Beauty by Daniela finished their hair and makeup. Joe’s sister Malissa arrived with her adorable girls Grace, Emma and Margaret and everyone looked just perfect. Once Alé slipped into her gorgeous gown from Brides by Young (we LOVE a wedding dress with sleeves!) we were off to Saint Stephen the Protomartyr where Joe was happily waiting for his bride.

It took a bit longer we expected to finish getting ready, which often happens on a wedding day, so I texted Joe while we made our way to the church to tell him things were running behind. His response was one of the sweetest things I have ever heard from a groom – he texted me back right away saying “Thank you for the update! She is running on her time that’s OK!” To me, that simple text said so much about who Joe is – always smiling, go with the flow, and deeply in love with Alé. Joe had the sweetest reaction to watching Alé walk down the aisle, and from that moment he didn’t take his eyes off his beautiful bride for the rest of the day.

After their traditional ceremony we ventured out of the church for photos with the wedding party. We are really glad that Alé and Joe were willing to brave the blustery weather for photos at Busse Woods; it was cold and windy but really pretty out! The newlyweds were all smiles as they snuggled close for pictures, and soon we were on our way back to the beautiful Chez Hotel. We took a few more pictures inside the gorgeous lobby during cocktail hour before settling into the grand ballroom for their reception. Fun fact, I photographed my first event ever in this beautiful grand ballroom!! We enjoyed a delicious meal while toasting Alé and Joe – his brother’s speech brought just about everyone in the room to tears. After dinner the dance floor opened and thanks to our friend DJ Chav everyone had an amazing time partying and celebrating Alé and Joe. We ended our night with a quiet moment with Alé and Joe on the stunning rooftop of the Chez Hotel, this was such a perfect day!!

Congratulations, Ale and Joe, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Ale and Joe’s beautiful wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY
Something Blue

VENUE
Chez Hotel

FLORIST
CR Flowers

HAIR AND MAKEUP
Beauty by Daniela

DJ
Chasefive Studio

WEDDING DRESS
Brides by Young

BRIDES’ SHOES
Converse

BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES
Azazie

MENSWEAR
Gentlemen's Quarters Formalwear

WEDDING RINGS
R.C. Wahl Jewelers

Liz Schrenk 10/30/24 Liz Schrenk 10/30/24

Jessica & Josh’s Sweet Metropolis Ballroom Wedding

Josh and Jessica met through his cousin Keith in a story that could really only be described as “meant to be.” Jessica and Keith’s Moms were both pregnant together and met at Lutheran General Hospital – over the years they maintained a friendship and Jessica and Keith stayed in contact. On New Year’s Eve 2010 Keith invited Jessica to a party that his wife’s Mom was hosting and of course his cousin Josh was also invited. Jessica and Josh met briefly that night and were snapped in a picture together. Several years went by before Jessica and Josh's paths crossed again.

During a text message conversation, Keith asked Jessica if she would like to be set up with Josh. At first, Jessica wasn't ready, because she had recently gone through a difficult breakup. However, after a couple of months, Jessica agreed. Jessica and Josh went to a birthday party at Keith and his wife Hannah's house. Jessica thought that Josh was in on the set-up and waited for him to make the first move. However, Josh didn't know the plan. No connection was made at the birthday party. But at another party three months later for The Fourth of July, Josh sat next to Jessica at dinner and struck up a conversation. They continued to enjoy talking throughout the evening. Josh and Jessica agree, in hindsight, that Keith not saying anything to Josh about the set up was a good idea because everything happened naturally. Josh friended Jessica on Facebook the next day, and they messaged back and forth for awhile. Being an English teacher, Jessica was impressed by Josh's thoughtful, detailed responses (and his proper use of grammar).

Their first date was eventful – they went to Elk Grove Bowl, had dinner at Mago Grill in Arlington Heights, walked through a street festival, and sat together at North School Park. Since then, they adopted the most adorable dog (Julie), developed a mutual friend group, traveled together, and survived the COVID-19 pandemic together. A few months after their fifth dating anniversary, Josh proposed to Jessica by the fountain at North School Park (accompanied by Julie) on a beautiful fall day in November.

When I first met Jessica and Josh I was struck by how connected they were and how easy it was to talk with them. They share a love of learning and appreciation for history and vintage aesthetics, and for me the real connection came in our shared fondness for our hometown of Arlington Heights! Jessica and Josh’s love of the local was very much a part of their wedding celebration at The Metropolis Ballroom, it was fun to be reminded of all the great aspects of Arlington Heights throughout the day (my favorite was the Arlington Club soda box they used for their wedding cards!)!

We planned Jessica and Josh’s first look at North School Park, the same place where they got engaged! It was really special to take pictures of the two of them near the fountain! After their first look we were able to connect with Josh’s uncle who had brought along his gorgeous custom restored “woody” wagon for pictures, this stunning vintage yellow car definitely set the scene for some unforgettable photographs! After positioning the car just so near the Arlington Heights Historical Museum and getting some great shots we went back downtown and met up with Jessica and Josh’s wedding party and family for photos. Their sweet dog Julie joined the fun for pictures and was such a good girl!!

It was soon time for Jessica and Josh to make things official and they did so upstairs in the ballroom with a traditional and emotional ceremony. Once they exchanged their vows and sealed their union with a kiss it was time to start celebrating!! We had a lot of fun with the {surprise!} Jack Sparrow impersonator that Jessica and Josh had hired to entertain their guests during cocktail hour. And then enjoyed listening to the thoughtful toasts given during dinner. After Jessica and Josh’s first dance together as husband and wife their guests danced the night away in honor of this wonderful couple. It was a perfect day and we were truly honored to be a part of it!

Congratulations, Jessica and Josh, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Jessica and Josh’s beautiful wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY
Something Blue

VENUE
The Metropolis Ballroom

FLORIST
Town & Country Gardens

HAIR
Kelly Alvarez

MAKEUP
Makeup by Elisa Inc.

DJ
Spinnin’ Discs

WEDDING CAKE
Jarosch Bakery

WEDDING RINGS
Mitchell's Jewelers

WEDDING DRESS
Wolsfelts Bridal

BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES
Birdy Grey

MENSWEAR
Essence Formal Wear

Liz Schrenk 10/15/24 Liz Schrenk 10/15/24

Laura & Zach’s Picture-Perfect Metropolis Ballroom Wedding

Laura and Zach met while working at the same office in Atlanta in November 2018. They bonded over a shared love of the Chicago Bears (she is from Libertyville and he is from outside of Peoria . . .

Laura and Zach met while working at the same office in Atlanta in November 2018. They bonded over a shared love of the Chicago Bears (she is from Libertyville and he is from outside of Peoria) and started dating shortly thereafter but kept it secret from their coworkers for years! In November 2021, Zach was transferred to Charlotte while Laura was transferred back home to Chicago. After a year of dating long distance Laura finally wore Zach down enough and convinced him to move home as well. After living together in her condo in the West Loop for nine months Zach proposed over Labor Day weekend at Devil’s Lake State Park. Not long after that they moved into their first home together in our hometown of Arlington Heights and began earnestly planning the wedding of their dreams!

Laura carefully planned every detail for their perfect wedding at The Metropolis Ballroom. She had a sweet little brigade of flower girls and ring bearers because she told her friends and family that “if they wanted their kids to come to the wedding then their kids would be IN the wedding,” which led to some absolutely adorable moments throughout the day! When Conrad and I arrived everyone was in great spirits and the little girls were loving twirling in their fancy white dresses, it was so cute! After pampering by the talented team at Hairs 2 The Bride Laura slipped into her beautiful Maggie Sotero gown, she looked absolutely gorgeous. Then it was time for Laura and Zach to have their First Look on the Metropolis veranda, it was such a romantic moment. After spending a little time admiring one another and exchanging letters Laura and Zach took Polaroid photos of each other on the veranda to use later as their cake topper.

It was a pleasure getting to know their wedding planner Amber from Peony Events throughout the day, Amber helped to make sure every detail was executed to fit Laura’s vision for their perfect wedding day. Laura had printed a photograph of every married couple who was coming as a guest to the wedding and everyone received those pictures as their parting favor, it was SO thoughtful and sweet! Laura and Zach each had their own disposable cameras that they used throughout the day to snap pictures of each other, honestly we would LOVE to see those shots once the film gets developed! One last memorable detail was that Laura had hired a “live painter” to forever capture their ceremony in paint, Jennifer from Dihel Art did a wonderful job capturing the essence of this beautiful day! As the live band played to celebrate the newlyweds we snuck outside to the Arlington Alfresco for some epic paparazzi-style photos of Laura and Zach, it was awesome to hear the roaring crowd cheering for these two as we worked our way through the streets snapping pictures! It truly was a picture-perfect day that we will always be thankful to have been a part of!

Congratulations, Laura and Zach, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Laura and Zach’s beautiful wedding photos click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY
Something Blue

WEDDING VENUE
The Metropolis Ballroom

WEDDING PLANNER
Amber with Peony Events

FLORIST
Wild Haven Flower Farm

HAIR + MAKEUP
Hairs 2 The Bride

WEDDING DRESS BOUTIQUE
Atelier Igar

BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES
Azazie
Abercrombie

MENSWEAR
Men's Warehouse

ENGAGEMENT RING
Rolland's Jewelers

WEDDING BAND
Sorry for Partying

LIVE PAINTER
Dihel Art

Liz Schrenk 9/27/24 Liz Schrenk 9/27/24

Claire & Jesus’ Sweet Rolling Green Country Club Wedding

Claire and Jesus met in 2017 while working at the same restaurant downtown. They worked the same shifts and would go out after work, and the more they hung out and got to know each other they realized. . .

Claire and Jesus met in 2017 while working at the same restaurant downtown. They worked the same shifts and would go out after work, as they hung out more and got to know each other they realized how much they wanted to be together. In 2021 they welcomed their first baby, the sweetest little boy named Julian. In November 2022, Claire and Jesus got engaged at Harmony Park in downtown Arlington Heights and had a party right after at La Tasca with their friends and family. Then in 2023 Claire and Jesus welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Sophia – we were so excited to come alongside this beautiful family for their wedding celebration!

Conrad spent some time with Claire and Jesus and their kids at a pretty family / engagement session earlier this Summer. Claire’s amazing Mom came along to help with Julian and Sophia, it was wonderful to see them all again once Claire and Jesus’ wedding day rolled along! Due to a last-minute change of plans the celebration was moved to the gorgeous Rolling Green Country Club, but first we met with the girls for some “getting ready” photos at the hotel. Claire’s friends and close female relatives were gathered together to get ready and were SO supportive of the beautiful bride – their reaction to seeing Claire in her perfect dress from Vanessa’s Modern Bride was one of the best we have seen! The girls kept their hype-energy high throughout the day and it was just so much fun to be with them to celebrate!

Claire’s Mom lovingly served as her florist and created all of the centerpieces along with Claire’s bouquet and Jesus’ boutonniere. We always appreciate a DIY effort on a wedding day but this was particularly impressive! After Claire and Jesus’ emotional first look together we explored the course and took some photos out on the bridge, we could have spent all day photographing this sweet and loving couple together. Later Julian and Sophia arrived and looked absolutely adorable in their fancy wedding clothes! Julian is a man on the move and spent a lot of the day getting his little boy energy out, while sweet Sophia wanted to be close to her Momma.

After capturing some family photos it was time for the ceremony under the shade of the oaks near the clubhouse. Claire’s friend and maid of honor Maddy officiated their wedding, she said she was nervous but absolutely crushed it and the ceremony was filled with beautiful and emotional moments. Once Claire and Jesus exchanged vows and rings the party really began! Lively music played on the back porch during cocktail hour before guests were treated to a delicious dinner thanks to the wonderful staff at Rolling Green. During their first dance Claire and Jesus had their kids join them for the sweetest moment as a family, we can only imagine how special those photos will be to Julian and Sophia when they are older! We snuck outside during golden hour for some stunning sunset pictures of the newlyweds before dancing the night away. It was the most perfect day, we were truly thankful to be a part of Claire and Jesus’ wedding!